What Are the Eight Phases of EMDR Therapy?

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured, evidence-based psychotherapy originally developed to treat post‑traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but it has also been used to treat issues such as depression, anxiety and OCD. While its headline-grabbing bilateral eye movements may seem unorthodox, EMDR’s effectiveness lies in a methodical, eight‑phase process that carefully guides clients from history gathering to lasting integration.

Below, we’ll examine each phase, detailing what happens in EMDR therapy, what you can expect and outcomes of successful treatment.

Phase 1: History-Taking & Treatment Planning

EMDR begins with a comprehensive assessment of your history. Parts of your life that will be taken into account include your developmental history, traumatic events, present symptoms, coping mechanisms and considering your personal therapeutic outcomes or goals.

What Happens Here?

• Your therapist collaborates with you to pinpoint target memories, including specific past traumas, present triggers and any future fears that could be on your mind.
• Off the back of this, a treatment plan is developed, prioritising what to address first and foremost.

This first phase is key as it establishes a strong foundation of trust and understanding. Crucially, you will be assessed as to whether you’re sufficiently emotionally stable and whether EMDR therapy is the most appropriate modality at this time.

Phase 2: Preparation

This phase will help you with resources for emotional regulation and to further help understand the structures, benefits, pros and cons of how EMDR therapy may work for you or your condition.

What Happens Here:

• An education on EMDR’s eight-phase structure and how it works, including bilateral stimulation (eye movements, taps or tones).
• Developing coping mechanisms such as grounding exercises, deep breathing, guided imagery and muscle relaxation.
• Establishing a supportive therapeutic relationship where you feel seen, heard and in control of your symptoms.

Processing or reliving past trauma can be intense for some people. At The Chelsea Psychology Clinic, our clinicians work alongside you at a convenient pace to prevent overwhelming you and making the treatment as comfortable and effective as possible.

Phase 3: Assessment

In phase three, a clinician will begin to identify the precise focus of processing, i.e. your target memory, along with any associated images, emotions, thoughts and bodily sensations that you feel when thinking about a traumatic or troubling experience.

You’ll May Be Asked to Explore:

1. Image: The image in your mind that is linked to the memory.
2. Negative Cognition: A self-belief such as: “I am powerless.”
3. Positive Cognition: A healthier belief you want to override the negative cognition, such as “I have power to control my memories.”
4. Emotions: Ratings of your current distress to help evaluate ways to bring these emotions down.
5. Body Sensations: Where do you feel tension or discomfort, and when?
6. Validity of Cognition: How true the positive cognition feels. This is typically rated on a scale of 1–7.
7. Subjective Units of Disturbance: How distressing the memory feels on a 0–10 scale.

This rigorous assessment sets a clear score and informs your treatment. The SUD and VoC ratings allow therapists to track progress, and it ensures a targeted, efficient reprocessing journey.

Phase 4: Desensitisation

With the target memory active in your conscience, bilateral stimulation via eye movements, tones or taps is introduced to help desensitise the trauma.

What Happens During Desensitisation?:

• You will bring the memory to your mind.
• A therapist administers bilateral stimulation in sets (e.g., the moving of a finger, alternating beeps, light bars).
• After each set is completed, you then share any new thoughts, feelings, sensations or images.
• The process then continues until SUD drops to near zero, or to a level that feels easier to manage.

The Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model suggests that traumatic thoughts and our reactions to them are stored in a dysfunctional way. Where bilateral stimulation treats this is that it supports the brain in reprocessing them; reducing emotional charge and easing negative associations.

Phase 5: Installation

Once any distress subsides, you will aim to enhance the positive cognition from the assessment phase of EMDR therapy.

The Process of Installation in EMDR:

• You will focus on the memory and a chosen positive cognition.
• Bilateral stimulation continues in sets until the VoC reaches its highest level.

This shorter phase ensures emotional neutrality isn’t just about forgetting distress – it’s about replacing it with healthier self-associations. The installation phase is where new positive beliefs are sunk in.

Phase 6: Body Scan

Even when the mind feels calm, the body may still contain some residual tension, where certain thoughts or sensations still remain at an uncomfortable level. The body scan phase of EMDR therapy examines any persisting physical signs of distress or anxiety.

Body Scan Steps in EMDR:

• You hold the memory and positive belief and focus on them.
• You scan your body for any tension or sensations associated with this.
• If anything remains, bilateral stimulation is applied again until the body feels relaxed.

Trauma can continue to reside in the body even after the mind heals or feels more at ease. Addressing physical residue ensures complete integration and that you will get the most out of your EMDR treatment.

Phase 7: Closure

In EMDR therapy, closure ensures emotional equilibrium when your session is over, no matter if full processing has occurred. This is an important step as it acts like a definite ending point to a session.

Activities May Include:

• Checking that your emotional state is calm – or calmer – than when the EMDR therapy session started.
• Employing grounding techniques (e.g., deep breathing) to keep you grounded before your next session.
• Assigning gentle “homework”, such as journaling or relaxation exercises.

By its very nature and the thoughts it requires you to process, EMDR therapy can stir troubling emotions. Closure is important because it prevents leaving your session in a vulnerable state and supports in embedding new coping strategies between sessions.

Phase 8: Re‑Evaluation

At the start of every new session, a therapist conducts a re-evaluation of your previous goals, thoughts, concerns and sensations. You may even begin a longer-term plan to see how to keep on top of any progress.

Focus Areas of EMDR Re-Evaluation:

1. Re-scoring your SUD and VoC for past memories.
2. Determine if further processing is needed for them.
3. Identify new targets from Phase 1 that are troubling you.
4. Discuss how coping strategies have worked between your sessions, and whether less or more is needed here.

This review is important because it means that EMDR therapy doesn’t become a one and done treatment. This step guides the therapy towards a more thorough, complete resolution, and keeps a defined structure in place.

Why the Phases of EMDR Matter

The eight-phase framework for EMDR therapy balances structure with flexibility and active work with equilibrium.

At The Chelsea Psychology Clinic, we emphasise that while EMDR is not a quick fix, it often yields deep, lasting change precisely because of this methodical design and the frameworks that are in place.

When Is EMDR Therapy Suitable?

EMDR therapy is best suited for people who have:

• Trauma-related symptoms, such as PTSD or complex PTSD.
• Adequate emotional stability, either naturally or achieved during preparation.
• A strong therapeutic rapport and motivation for structured work, long-term treatment.

EMDR may not be suitable for those who are actively struggling with a deep distress or sensations or for those who prefer more common talking therapies such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). In these cases, a therapist may focus on initially building stronger emotional regulation skills before going ahead with EMDR therapy.

Final Thoughts

EMDR’s effectiveness lies in its structured progression, guiding clients through eight phases that combine safety with transformation:

1. History‑Taking & Treatment Planning – identify and prioritise your next steps.
2. Preparation – teach coping skills and build trust.
3. Assessment – set clear target memory markers.
4. Desensitisation – reduce emotional charge with bilateral stimulation.
5. Installation – embed positive cognition to override past thoughts or sensations.
6. Body Scan – clear any remaining bodily tension.
7. Closure – stabilise your thoughts or feelings before leaving the session.
8. Re-evaluation – gauge progress and plan next steps accordingly.

This framework sits at the intersection of trauma-informed care, brain-based learning, and a client-centred therapeutic style. And while debates about bilateral stimulation’s mechanism may continue, there’s no real-world substitute for this structured, phase-driven protocol in producing deep and lasting healing.

Whether you’re curious about EMDR or ready to begin your own healing journey, understanding how it works is the first step toward reclaiming your peace of mind. Contact us today to find out more about our treatment options, or to discuss whether EMDR therapy could work for you.